American Lotus at Arlington Wetlands
Plant This, Not That...Aquatic Plants! Garden ponds are popular in many backyards. They provide a calm and relaxing atmosphere in any outdoor space. Ponds, large and small, also add valuable wildlife habitat. Frogs, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, bees, and even crustaceans need water. If you have a pond or are thinking about installing one in the future, carefully consider your plant choices. However, something people often do not think about is aquatic invasive species. Remember, invasive species are exotic (not originally from North America) plants that escape the place they were planted and out-compete native plants, eventually taking over entire natural areas and harming the ecosystem. Most commonly, we talk about invasive species in forests and prairies - plants like honeysuckle, autumn olive, Bradford pear, and garlic mustard. In honor of all things water, this time, we are talking about waterloving invasive species. You will want to avoid those plants.
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Every pond has different plant zones. Below are some native plants for each area, starting from the driest zone, Plants to avoid are listed in RED. Border Plants are plants for the edge of your pond. They are happy in moist places but don’t need standing water to survive. • Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) • Cardinal Flower (Lobelia cardinalis) • Buttonbush (Cephelantus occidentalis) • Joe-Pye Weed (Eupatorium fistulosum)
Shallow Water Plants are the plants that grow around the edge in the shallow area, sometimes called the marginal shelf or aquatic shelf. These plants can survive with up to 3 inches of water. You can plant these plants in pots set on underwater shelves or plant them directly in the soil around the pond or stream. • Arrowhead (Sagittaria latifolia) • Purple Pickerelweed (Pontederia cordata) • Marsh marigold (Caltha palustris) • Lizard’s Tail (Saururus cernuus)
• Turtlehead (Chelone spp.)
• Copper Iris (Iris fulva)
• Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica)
• Blue Flag Iris (Iris versicolor) • Rushes (Juncus sp.)
• Swamp Milkweed (Asclepias incarnata)
• Sedges (Carex spp.)
• Swamp Rose Mallow (Hibiscus moscheutos) • DO NOT PLANT: Reed Canary Grass
• Green arrow arum (Peltandra virginica) • DO NOT PLANT: Parrot’s feather (Myriophyllum aquatica), Yellow flag (Iris pseudacorus), Purple loostrife (Lythrum salicatia), or Watercress (Nasturtium officinale)
www.HeartLandsConservancy.org
